This gem of a book tells the story of a failed attempt to establish a communist community in Paraguay in the 1890s by a group of disaffected Australian workers and union organisers.
The book also tells much more - a little of the anthropological, social and political history of Paraguay, and follows the life of the descendants of the community through the subsequent 100 years.
Anne Whitehead has a background in television, and the book shows that slant - not a straight history, more of a commentary to an unshown television series. She tells the history, but mixed in with much detailed personal information and the occasional droll interjection from the author.
I had a vague memory of a group of Australian idealists who had gone to Paraguay, but know little else. Whitehead fills in the details and tells the very human story of the venture - which failed for very human reasons.
Read March 2015 ( )